


Hang in the Balance

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You [22]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:33:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28543365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEFollowing Rose's birthday, she and the Doctor take Martha and Donna to 1859 to investigate a reading from Torchwood. The Unquiet Dead make an early appearance, and they realize they have a rather important problem to solve.“We open that door, and we do one thing, just one one thing…” he began, whispering.“What?” Martha asked.“Run,” he and Rose said together, and they pushed the door open.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030980
Comments: 2
Kudos: 123





	Hang in the Balance

It doesn’t usually happen like this. 

Usually, it’s a slow build. They arrive, they explore, they meet some new people. They’ll discover a problem and slowly work to solve it. Sometimes they run for their lives. Sometimes they stop the bad guy with minimal difficulty. Sometimes it’s really hard. Sometimes people get hurt. 

It’s very, very rare, though it had happened, she supposed, where they step off the TARDIS directly into chaos. 

That’s what happened this time. 

In normal circumstances, if this trip had gone the way it usually does, she might have appreciated the lavish estate and its dirt paved road that led horses and carriages to its large double doors. She might have noticed the lawn with its perfectly cut green grass, or the apple trees that rested along the perimeter of the property. She probably would have pointed out the smell of firewood, and the valet would have greeted them with his white gloves as they walked inside. 

And once inside, he probably would have noticed the lack of electricity and the stunning architecture. He would have been delighted by the hundreds of books on the walls of the study, and they would have indulged in tea time, possibly some little sandwiches. Donna would surely have noticed how handsome the Earl of the estate was, and Martha would have been awed by the view outside that overlooked a small town just under the horizon, with a beautiful English countryside backdrop. 

But none of them noticed any of it. The moment they opened the door, they immediately closed it. The Doctor turned to them with wide eyes, and looked at Rose. 

There had been, though she was sure she was wrong, _zombies_ standing on the grass. 

“Look at me,” the Doctor said, and all three of them did. “We can turn back if you want to.” 

“What?” Rose asked. He just looked at her again. 

“It’s your birthday,” he said. Donna just took a deep breath. 

“What is it?” she asked. “I mean...what are they? What’s happening?” 

“I don’t know,” he said. His voice was serious, and his face was stone. “But it doesn't look too good, and I have a feeling we may be facing a Delta Floor type of problem, Donna Noble, so I’m giving you all a chance to tell me if you want to turn around and go home.” 

Martha just moved to the door, opening it slightly, and looked at the lawn. They weren’t moving, but she could clearly see the gray tone of their skin, the sunkenness of their cheeks, the way their hair was matted to their faces. She could smell rotting flesh, a scent she had come to associate with the morgue at her hospital from time to time, and she closed the door, looking at the Doctor. 

“What’s wrong with them?” she asked. The doctor in her wanted to help, and he sighed. 

“I’m not sure,” he said. Rose just traced her tongue along her lips. 

She remembered the last time they didn’t turn around when they probably should have. 

He wore an orange jumpsuit. 

“No,” she said. That day had worked out exactly how it was supposed to, and they were even stronger now. No one else would do this. “I want to help.” 

His icy demeanor began to shatter, and he grinned at her. Rose smirked, fully aware in that moment he had been putting on a little show, and he looked at Donna and Martha. “You two?” 

“I want to stay,” Martha said. Donna nodded. 

“Me too,” she said. The Doctor just grinned wider. 

“Right!” he exclaimed, suddenly giddy, and ran to the supply closet. “I don’t know what they are. Which makes it oh, so very exciting don’t you think? Martha, take this -” he began, tossing her a stun gun, “Donna!” he continued, and threw her a sonic beam. “Rose, got your sonic?” 

“Yep!” she shouted, bouncing on her feet and smiling just as widely as he was when he ran back to her, a glimmer in his eye. 

“We open that door, and we do one thing, just one one thing…” he began, whispering. 

“What?” Martha asked. 

“Run,” he and Rose said together, and they pushed the door open. 

They _sprinted._

The zombies, or whatever they were, smelled their pulsing blood and plump bodies the moment they stepped foot on the grass, and they were all screaming as they ran toward the house, desperately trying to get inside so they could begin to figure out what the hell was going on. 

One thing Rose noticed right away, was they didn’t move like most of the zombies she’d seen in films. They weren’t slow or stumbling with their arms stretched out in front of them, they were like deer, leaping through the air at times and they moved quickly. 

The shrieking, gasping, wailing noises, though, felt familiar. 

“Go, go, go, go, go!” the Doctor yelled at them as they reached the back of the house. Just one zombie had managed to catch up with them so far, and he grabbed a metal bucket used for a well and slammed it into the creature’s head, knocking it off its neck. 

“Oh, ew,” Rose said, and she soniced the doorknob, her adrenaline coursing through her as she pushed the door open and ushered Martha in first, followed by Donna. The Doctor kicked the head with a series of yelps and tossed it over a fence, and Rose held his arm and yanked him inside too. 

They slammed the door shut and soniced it closed, locking it. Martha was heaving, it was the first time she had run with them quite like that, and Donna realized they were in the kitchens. Martha’s body was pressed against a counter, and the Doctor scanned the dark room, letting out a sigh of relief when he realized they were alone. 

“It’s alright,” he said, his respiratory bypass kicking in as he stood and started to look around. “You all okay?” 

“Yeah,” Donna said. Rose was thrilled, but she also knew her appreciation for danger was unusual. The Doctor just winked at her and moved to Martha. 

“Hey,” he said. “You alright?” 

“That…” she began, “was epic.” 

“HA!” the Doctor said, “it was, wasn’t it?” 

They all laughed, though Donna found it all a little absurd, and they found some candles in silver holders on a table. The Doctor lit them and handed them to Martha and Donna, and he and Rose used the light on their screwdrivers to illuminate the hallway, launching a thorough investigation. 

There was blood on the floor of the hall that led to the servant quarters. A musky smell lingered in the air, and they all moved silently, making each creak of the wooden floorboards ring in their ears as small shivers ran down their spines. 

Every bedroom was empty, and it was clear whatever might help them understand how this all came to be wasn’t in the lower level of the house. Rose was leading, her Instincts taking control as she led them toward the staircase that connected the kitchen to the main floor, and they slowly walked up. 

“Wait,” she whispered, and scanned the floor at the top of the stairs. She peered over, and deducted. Two zombies were standing by a pillar near another room. “Martha, come here.” 

They all shifted a little on the stairs until Martha was standing next to Rose. “What is it?” she whispered. Rose pointed to the zombies and leaned closer to her. 

“Can you aim your stun gun at them? Fire when I say?” she asked. Martha nodded, her heart throbbing against her chest, and she brought the gun up to place. “Ready?” 

“Yeah,” she said. Rose closed her eyes, waiting until her Instincts spoke again. 

“Now.” 

Martha fired twice, and Rose hugged her, the zombies immediately slumping to the ground. She was shocked, and the Doctor just smiled at her, and Donna’s brow was creased. This all felt...strange. 

“Well done,” the Doctor said, and Martha let out a shaky breath. 

“Thanks,” she said. “They’re just stunned, yeah?” 

“Yep,” the Doctor said. “They’ll wake eventually on their own, though.” 

“Okay,” Martha said, and Rose slowly finished the ascent up the stairs, tucked her body against the wall as the rest of them followed. The Doctor scanned. 

“Those were the only ones, come on,” he said, and moved toward the two bodies lying on the ground. “Don’t touch.” 

Rose kneeled beside him, and Martha and Donna both stood back. Donna looked around the room, feeling a coldness linger in the air, and Martha watched at the Doctor and Rose scanned. 

“They’re….dead,” Rose said. “No brain activity, no heartbeat. No blood, even.” 

“They’ve been dead for a while,” the Doctor murmured, his face deducting. 

“So they are zombies?” Martha said, and Donna sighed. 

“Oi, can we go? I’m...I don’t like just standing around,” she said. 

“One minute,” the Doctor said. Rose looked at him. 

“What do you think it is?” she asked. 

He didn’t say anything, but he clenched his jaw and stood back up and looked at Martha. 

“Alright, Dr. Jones. The decomposition...How long would you say?” he asked. She looked at them carefully. 

“Three months?” she asked. 

“Molto Bene,” he said and for the first time the words didn’t spark arousal in Rose, but dread. “Zombies, indeed.” 

“Are they contagious?” Martha asked. Rose bit her lip. 

“Don’t touch,” she said, thinking as she repeated the Doctor. She looked around the room, and spotted a letter opener on a table. She grabbed it. 

“What are you doing?” the Doctor said. She ignored him for a moment as her wheels still turned, and placed her hand on the chest of one of the bodies. Nothing happened. “Rose, stop.” 

“I’m testing a theory,” she murmured. She nudged her mind to his, and sent him her plan. He stiffened but he didn’t stop her, and she sliced her hand with the metal, wincing. Donna squirmed, hating the sight of blood. Rose placed her cut on the corpse, and pulled back, waiting. 

No one said anything, but suddenly Rose felt a pain in her hand and her head began to grow fuzzy. It was like there was some sort of energy inside of her all of a sudden, and she let out a long groan and stumbled onto the ground. “Rose…” the Doctor said, catching her, his voice alarmed. “Rose, do it now.” 

She managed to close her fist and focus on the Vortex energy, healing her cut and removing whatever was in her blood. She gasped and looked at the Doctor, who pulled her into a hug. “Sorry,” she said. “But the good news is you can touch. Just...not with an open wound." 

“Don’t let them bite you, you mean,” Martha said. Rose nodded. The Doctor was looking at her carefully. 

“Are you alright?” he whispered. She nodded. 

“Yeah,” she said and kissed him. 

Suddenly, Donna turned, a thudding sound starting behind her. Someone was trying to open the door. “Doctor!” she said, her voice a little hurried. 

“Hide!” he said, grabbing Rose’s hand. They raced toward the sitting room just as the front door flew open, and they all ducked behind a loveseat. 

A man ran inside, very much alive and trembling, his cold fingers were trying to lock the doors but he couldn’t quite grasp the handle. Rose moved to him. 

“Let me,” she said. He jumped and yelled at the sound of her voice, and stared at her as she soniced the door suit. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Rose.” 

“Miles,” he said, trying to get his heart rate to go back to normal. “Miles Kensington.” 

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “Are you alone?” 

He nodded and the others popped up behind the loveseat. Donna collapsed in the seat and Martha sat next to her. “What’s wrong?” 

“Oh, nothing, it's all wonderful,” she muttered. Martha just looked at her. “Sorry. I’m not used to seeing dead bodies,” she whispered. “It feels…” 

“I know,” Martha said, and squeezed her hand. The Doctor was moving to Rose. 

“How’d you get past them?” he asked Miles, who just trembled more. 

“I almost didn’t,” he said. He pulled the curtain covering the window back and shook his head. “This has been happening the last few nights. When the sun comes up they should go away.” 

“How long?” the Doctor asked. 

“What?” he said. 

“How long has that been going on for?” Rose asked, clarifying. Miles sighed. 

“Two days,” he said. “People are just... staying indoors. The moment the sun goes down. My family went to our house in London, I refused to leave.” 

“This is your estate, isn’t it?” Rose asked. Miles nodded grimly. 

“You don’t know me?” he asked. They just stared at him, and he sighed. “That’s a first. Refreshing...My father died last year and I took over. I...I can’t just leave it. The...whatever they are...” he said. Donna and Martha had walked into the room now, Donna still feeling a little overwhelmed. “Who are you? How’d you get inside?” 

“I’m the Doctor,” he said, “I’m Rose’s husband. Our friends, here, are Donna and Martha.” 

Rose smiled despite the situation. He had never introduced himself like that before, and he winked at her. 

“Hello,” Donna said, and Miles just nodded. 

“You can stay as long as you need. No one should be out there right now,” he said. 

“Thank you,” Rose said. She watched him lower the curtain again and she looked around the room. “What else can you tell us?” 

“That’s it, really,” Miles said softly. “It’s been...difficult.” 

“I imagine,” the Doctor said. He moved back to the sitting room and looked out that window as well. The zombies were standing on the grass, waiting. “They seem to only react when they smell blood. Maybe hear a heartbeat….” 

He was muttering, and Rose moved to him. “We wait.” 

“Hm?” he asked, his eyes still glued to the zombies. 

“Till morning. Till we can go out there,” she said. He turned to her, his hand sliding into hers. 

“Okay,” he said, trusting whatever her Instincts were telling her. “Mr. Kensington,” he began, turning and walking back toward him. “What happened on the first night?” 

“I was in the dining room with my sister and niece,” he said. “They were telling me some story about two cities...I don’t know, it was in the paper. Anyway, suddenly the room felt cold. Very cold. And when we went for our nightly stroll they were just...there.” 

“What happened?” the Doctor asked. They all watched Miles intently, and he sighed. 

“I locked the doors and made Alice and Evie pack,” he said. 

“Sorry,” the Doctor said, “did you just say Alice?” 

“My sister,” he said. Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand as he stiffened beside her, but he recovered quickly. Martha and Donna didn’t notice, too nervous about the rest of Miles’ story. “Her husband died not long after my father. Both got sick, nothing we could do...They’ve been staying with me for the last year.” 

“When did they leave?” Rose asked, taking over for the Doctor. 

“Yesterday morning. When I realized those...things were gone. I booked a carriage and they left first thing,” he said. 

“Has anyone died?” Martha asked. Miles just looked at her. 

“I don’t know….” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t...I…”

“It’s alright,” Donna said. “We get it.” 

“I told my staff to go home, too,” Miles’ said. “Back to their families. They usually stay downstairs but it just didn’t feel right.” 

A moment passed, and Rose just watched Miles carefully. 

“When’s the last time you ate?” she said, realizing the weight of the world had been on this man’s shoulders for two days. He just shook his head. “Right. Well, the Doctor is a great cook. I can make tea, that’s about it,” she said smiling at him, and he laughed a little. 

“Men don’t usually do the cooking around here,” he said. “Where are you from?” 

“You just sit, yeah?” Rose instructed, her voice slightly irritated. “We’re time travelers. We solve mysteries all the time. You’ll be safe.” 

“Time travelers?” Miles asked. Rose just nodded. 

“Sit,” she said again. She could have gone into a lecture, put him in his place for his ignorance, but she could see he was beyond distraught, so she let it go. For now. 

Martha and Donna looked at each other, and the Doctor watched Miles sit on the loveseat. Rose bit her lip. 

_I’ll stay with him. See if he’ll tell us more. Can you make something?_

_I’m not making him dinner._

_Doctor, he needs a distraction, please?_

_I’m a Time Lord, Rose!_

_You’re also a better cook._

He stared at her, and felt himself losing the battle as she smiled at him. He sighed. 

Wrapped around her bloody finger. 

_I haven’t used a 19th century kitchen in three hundred years, Rose._

She just looked at him, and he raised his eyebrow. 

_I’m just saying, I can’t promise it’ll be any good._

She smirked at him, and Donna placed a hand on his arm. 

“What should we do?” she asked. The Doctor sniffed. 

“Do either of you want to help me make him dinner?” he asked, an amused expression on his face. Donna scoffed. 

“Oi, I can’t cook!” she said. Martha just smiled. 

“I’ll help,” she said. He looked back at Rose. They made faces at each other for a moment, and he moved with Martha down to the kitchen again. Donna walked to an armchair, her eyes laughing with Rose before she turned her attention to the zombies on the lawn. 

“I’m sorry about your father,” Rose said. He just looked at her. 

“Thank you,” he said. “Do you know how to stop this?”

“I don’t,” she said. “But we will.” 

“Time travelers…” he mused, leaning back against the seat. “That’s…impossible.” 

Rose just sat, and the look in her eye made him sit up. “Do you know where they’re coming from?” 

“What?” he asked. 

“They’re human. We checked. Just...corpses. Something is making them...come to life again, I guess, but it’s not...reviving them. It’s temporary. They must be coming over here from some hospital or something, yeah? Do you know?” she repeated. He stiffened and looked at Donna for a moment. 

“The cemetery,” he murmured. Rose narrowed her gaze. 

“That’s what I thought,” she began, standing. She moved to the back of the couch and turned, placing her hands on it as she stared at him with the gaze of a wolf sniffing out her prey. 

Deducting. 

“Why were you out there? You said you sent everyone away, that everyone stays in their homes. You said you have no idea if these things have hurt anyone, and yet…” she said, trailing off. Donna sat up behind Rose, not at all surprised she was putting pieces together. Miles sighed. 

“I wanted to see...how they do it. I thought…” he whispered. 

The Doctor walked in then with some soup and bread. He set it on the table in front of Miles and noticed the way Rose was looking at him. He had heard the entire conversation, of course, and he sat on the arm rest as Martha moved to Donna. 

“We will need to take a look there, then,” the Doctor said. Miles nodded. 

“Thank you for this,” he said, too exhausted to say more. He dipped the bread and took a bite, and the four of them let him eat for a few minutes, all their minds swirling. Miles eventually set the spoon down and his elbows came to his knees. He ran his hands through his hair, and the Doctor felt his throat tighten. 

He knew that feeling. 

“You miss Evie and...Alice, don’t you?” he asked. Miles just sighed. 

“They’re all I have. If I can’t fix this…” he began, and Rose rubbed her hand along the Doctor’s back, trying to soothe him as best she could. 

“You did the right thing,” he said. His voice was far away, and he was looking at his feet. “Sending them away from the danger.” 

Rose felt her heartstrings pull towards him and she kissed his shoulder. Martha and Donna noticed it all, then, and their eyes locked. The Doctor clenched his jaw and looked back at Miles with sympathy. “They’ll be able to come home. I promise.” 

Miles just stared at him, and he nodded once. Rose rubbed her lips and looked back at Martha and Donna. They couldn’t go back to the TARDIS now even if they wanted to, and she knew everyone was tired. “Do you think we could stay in a guest room for a few hours? Get some rest before we get to work tomorrow?” 

“Of course,” he said. “Follow me.” 

They all stood, and Rose sent the Doctor a wave of love as they followed Miles up the stairway to the left. “This is mine, but you can use any of the others.” 

“Thank you,” the Doctor said once they were all in the hallway. Pictures of Lords and Ladies, Miles’ relatives he assumed, rested on the walls next to the candle holders that weren’t lit. Only the moonlight from a window at the end of the hall illuminated their paths, and Miles just nodded as he slipped into his room. The four time travelers looked at each other. “You two alright? We can all share a room if you’d prefer.” 

“It’s your wedding night,” Donna said, smirking. “No thank you.” 

The Doctor didn’t laugh, his hearts were racing and he was gripping Rose’s hand. Martha just opened the door they were in front of and pulled Donna in. “We’ll be fine, Doctor. See you soon.” 

They both could tell he wasn’t entirely okay at the moment. 

“Right,” he said, “Night.” 

The door shut and Rose moved the one next to it, opening it and letting the Doctor walk in before she shut it carefully. It was a quaint room, and it clearly belonged to Evie. There was a toy bin in the corner, a teddy bear on the bed, and a bookshelf with some picture books under the window. The Doctor moved to it, and peered down, staring at the zombies again. 

“Hey,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist as he just watched. His hands ran over hers, and leaned into her. He sighed. 

“Hi,” he said. He didn’t say more, and she rested her chin on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He just shook his head. 

“I’m alright,” he assured her. She kissed his neck lightly, rubbing her thumb along his hand. 

“You can be alright and still be sad, Doctor,” she said. He smiled a little, and shook his head. 

“It’s not that,” he said. “Not really...It’s…” 

“You’ve gone centuries without having to think about her and you’ve had to three times in the last three months?” she whispered, her eyes sparkling against the light of the moon. He turned to her, stunned, but then rolled his eyes inwardly. She could see his mind, feel his emotions, hear his thoughts...

His Impossible human. 

“I thought about her,” he whispered. “Before...” 

She just looked at him and pulled him into a hug. “You know what I mean,” she whispered. 

“Yeah,” he said, looking up at the stars over her shoulder. A moment passed, and he turned her around so she was standing next to him, and he laced his arm around her waist. “There.” 

“What?” she asked, looking with him. 

“Gallifrey. It was right there. You couldn’t see it from Earth, of course, but...travel a few thousand lightyears...” he whispered. 

“Yeah?” she asked. He nodded. He wasn’t upset, no longer dwelling, she could tell. He was reflecting, fueled by the memory of his sister. And, she could tell, he allowed the feeling of her in his arms to let him do so without the usual guilt. 

Well. Not all of it. 

His eyes shifted from the stars back to the grass, and his brow furrowed. “What?!” 

She peered with him, and they saw the zombies begin to congregate around a single spot. Rose placed her hands on the glass, trying to get a better look, and she could sense something was coming. She was just about to speak when suddenly a burst of blue light shot up from the ground.

He pulled her away from the window instantly, his body shielding hers against the ground. The glass shattered, and they stayed very still. The wind was ripping around them once the window was open and he grabbed her hand, helping her stand as they raced out of the bedroom as fast as they could. 

These doors were wooden, and he let out a noise of frustration before he banged on the door Martha and Donna were in. “Let us in!” 

They could hear screaming, and the Doctor body slammed into it, knocking into the ground. His thin frame was much stronger than it looked, Rose knew, and he immediately felt his stomach drop. Zombies were crawling up the wall, and Martha and Donna were hitting them back with random things they found around the room. Books, brooms, hangers…. 

Rose and the Doctor moved to them and pulled them away from the wall. Rose held Donna’s hand and the Doctor held Martha’s, and they ran out of the room. Miles was already downstairs, trying to barricade the doors with chairs. 

“Stop!” the Doctor shouted. “We’ve got to get out of here.” 

“No way,” Miles said. “This is the safest place to be.” 

Rose looked around, and she could hear the snorts of the undead as they entered the broken windows upstairs. She blasted the door with a beam, grabbing Donna’s hand again. 

“Not anymore - GO!” she shouted, and they all ran back onto the lawn. They ran, no one quite knowing where they were going and just following Rose. They knew her instincts would know more by now, when Martha felt something grab her leg. 

“AH!” she screamed, and Rose turned. The Doctor punched it, Rose’s experiment giving him the confidence to know it would be fine and it fell off of Martha. He grabbed her hand again and they kept running. 

“YOU ARE ALL CRAZY!” Miles screamed, and ran in the opposite direction. 

“Oh, come on…” Rose groaned, and shifted positions, now chasing after him. 

There were about seventy five undead bodies, the Doctor quickly deducted, and he wanted to go take a look at where the beam came from. Rose nodded at him, hearing his thoughts, and he and Martha ran away from Rose. 

“Where are we going?” Martha asked. 

“They’re acting as bait!” he shouted, and pulled her against the wall of a barn near the estate, ten feet from the spot the light was coming from. 

“It’s the rift,” the Doctor murmured, shocked. The pieces fell together all at once, and his hearts stopped for a moment. 

“What’s that mean?” Martha asked. The Doctor frowned. 

“Time is fragile...” he whispered, and ran toward it. His eyes were darting around as he tried to see how strong the rift was. “Rose Tyler, you’ve done it again…” 

Her Instincts wanted her to come here, he should have known. It had to be them. 

He knew, as he ran around the perimeter of the light, that they couldn’t close the rift. They had already done that in the past, which just so happened to be in the future. 

If they closed it now, ten years before that first night of reanimated corpses, it would affect Gwyneth's timeline, and therefore _their_ timeline. This timeline they were working so hard to solve. If Jack and Gwen were here, they would have closed it, he was certain of that. And everything would have shifted in a second. Gwen would cease to exist, he’d lose Rose. Bad Wolf would never have happened...

His mind was spinning down a rabbit hole of all the things that would be undone if they didn’t do this right, and he heard Rose’s voice in his head, bringing him back. 

_They’re getting close, just do it, yeah?_

He clenched his jaw and looked for an energy source, which he knew he needed. In the age before electricity, that was harder than usual. “Martha, your gun, can I see it?” 

She tossed it at him and he broke it open, pulling out the charging chip from some planet whose name he couldn’t think of at this moment. 

“HA!” he shouted, adrenaline coursing through him. He grabbed Martha’s hand and they raced back to the TARDIS. 

Rose was catching up with the Doctor, but she was still running, luring the zombies away from the light. Suddenly, Donna started to cough, not used to running for as long as she has been. Miles had already stopped, trying to catch his breath a few feet back, and Rose grabbed the sonic beam from Donna’s bustle. 

“Don’t move!” she screamed, and ran to the other side of the zombies. They turned to face her, and she threw the beam in the middle of the hoard. They ran to it, drawn to a new toy, and she watched one press, sending them all backwards in all directions, stunned. Just like Michelle had been. 

_Rose, bring them to the ship._

“Come on,” she said, helping Donna up. “Miles, let’s go.” 

They moved again, Donna ignoring the pain in her side as she started to limp toward the TARDIS. Miles was confused, rattling on about why they were walking to a wooden box, but Rose ignored him and threw the doors open. 

“Everyone alright?” the Doctor asked, already at the console. 

“Yeah,” Rose said. Miles was standing in the doorway, and she glared at him. “Oi! Get in, we don’t have time! It’s a spaceship, I know so crazy - bigger on the inside. Move it!” 

She sounded like Jackie, the Doctor thought, and she rolled her eyes at him. 

“How much did you hear when we were at the rift?” he asked her as she walked up to him. 

“All of it,” she said. “What are you thinking?” 

“We need to set the coordinates for that night in Cardiff and use this,” he said, holding up the chip, “to send the rift there through the TARDIS’ pulsation.” 

“Brilliant,” she said, and he grinned at her. He knew she absolutely understood him, and that there was a time when she wouldn’t have and would have still told him it was brilliant. 

He liked this better. 

“Right! Martha, hold this,” he said, pointing to a lever. “Mine and Rose’s entire life together hangs in the balance, so don’t let go.”

“WHAT?!” she said, and the Doctor just grinned at her, trying to hide his own discomfort and downright _fear._

“Donna, you take this,” he said, and Donna held a knob. “Miles, you just...stand there.” 

“Okay,” the man said, still overwhelmed by everything. 

“Rose,” he said, his eyes dancing with hers. “I love you.”

It wasn’t what she expected to hear, not when he’d been giving out orders, and it knocked the wind out of her. His face was creased, and he was looking at her with the uncertainty he had on Canary Wharf. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered, trying to not add to his uneasiness. “What do I do?” 

“Type in the coordinates…” he whispered. “I have to go out there. It’s too dangerous. If something happens to me, just know...Rose…Know that I...” he said, trailing off. His blocks were up, she realized, and she stared at him. 

“Doctor, what are you talking about?” she said. 

“It’s a rift, Rose…” he whispered. “I can’t have you out there.” 

She understood instantly, and her head began to spin. She felt her stomach twist into a knot. She knew it wasn’t the one they had been looking for all these months, but it still connected to the Void….

He was telling her he might fall in. And she suddenly understood that there was a chance, albeit small, she knew, that if this didn’t work he’d be trapped. 

“No,” she said. “I’m not letting you do that alone.” 

“It has to be done,” he whispered. “You can fly her. You know the coordinates to Earth... You can take her home if you need to. To Jackie, to Tony. Take them home. Have a...have a fantastic life.” 

She stared at him, tears brimming her eyes. He looked at her, and cupped his hand to her cheek. “I trust you. I love you. So much.” 

“Doctor, wait - ” she whispered. He kissed her, a fiery, needy, pained kiss, and he walked out the door without looking at her, knowing if he did he’d never do this. 

Rose felt her tears fall, and for a moment she just stood frozen in shock. But she tried to focus and nudged his mind. He let her in. 

_It will be fine. Most likely. I just...I couldn’t not tell you goodbye. Just in case._

_Don’t you dare. Just tell me the damn coordinates and get back here._

She was angry, he knew, and with a wave of love he sent her the numbers. 

_Those are to move the TARDIS closer, okay? Rose...I’m sorry. I just…_

_I know._ she said. They’d be fine. She had to believe that. 

She moved the TARDIS so it was right next to the light, and the Doctor could hear the zombies begin to stir. He sent her the second set of coordinates, the ones for Cardiff. 

_Ready?_

_Come back to me, yeah?_

_I’ll do everything I can, Rose._

She felt more tears fall, and she punched the coordinates in, keeping her anger as low as possible. The Doctor counted to three in his mind. Together, as Rose pulled the lever, the Doctor soniced the chip and the TARDIS held off dematerializing as long as she could, starting to tremble as he threw it into the rift. The extra energy caused the blue light to intensify, and he closed his eyes. If this was going to work, it would happen quickly he knew, and he couldn’t bring himself to watch. 

The TARDIS was shaking, and Rose locked eyes with her companions. “DON’T LET GO!” she screamed, and they both held on for dear life. Suddenly, there was a screech in Rose’s head as the TARDIS absorbed the rift, and sent it to its proper home through her pulsations where the coordinates were going. 

A snowy evening in 1869. 

The Doctor opened his eyes when he sensed the rift was gone, and he suddenly felt two arms around him. Rose had run out of the TARDIS and jumped onto his back, and he turned in her embrace, kissing her and spinning her in a circle against the moonlight. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he said between kisses, and she was responding just as messily, practically glued to him, and Miles just stared. 

“What’s wrong with them?” he asked, appalled by the public display of affection. Martha and Donna looked at him. 

“It’s quite possible the universe spins the way it does because they love each other so much,” Donna said. “Shut up.” 

Martha smirked and started to laugh. She and Donna didn’t fully understand what just happened, but it had worked, and that was enough for them. 

Rose pulled away from his kiss and hugged him, closing her eyes. “Don’t you _ever_ do that again.” 

“Rose, it was a rift, I couldn’t -” he said, but she clenched around him and just shook her head. 

“Not that,” she said. “I meant no more making my decisions for me.” 

“Rose -” he began, but she pulled back and stared at him. 

“You really think I wouldn’t have come with you?” she said, her eyes locking with his. “The TARDIS would have found a way to take Martha and Donna home.” 

“What?” he said. “No, Rose, it wouldn’t have. One of us needed -” 

“Stop,” she said, anger still boiling inside of her. “No. You set up emergency protocols. It would have taken them home the moment it knew you were gone. It did that for me, remember?” 

“Rose,” he said again and she cupped her hands to his cheeks. 

“Wherever you’re going, I’m going. Even voids and parallel worlds. You got that?” she said, and he just clenched his jaw. 

“Yes, sir,” he whispered, and pulled her back into a hug. She didn’t say anything, and at the feel of his heartbeats against her chest she let her anger vanish. He kissed her head, and then her lips again, and he used this thumb to wipe stray tears off her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” 

“I know,” she whispered. “I love you.” 

“I love you,” he told her. Their eyes danced with each other for a moment, and they each took a deep breath. “How are all of you?” he asked finally, looking over Rose at the others. They all nodded, and Miles looked distraught. 

“What is going on? What -” he began, but the Doctor just sighed. 

“Let’s see,” he said, slipping his hand in Rose’s and squeezing. They moved to the grass, and saw all the zombies were lying on the ground, once again nothing more than corpses. Donna stiffened. 

“There’s so many,” she whispered. 

“Yeah,” Rose said. “Where’s the graveyard?” 

Miles looked at her and pointed in the general direction. She nodded. “You’ll have to rebury them.” 

“They won’t wake back up?” he asked. The Doctor shook his head. 

“It was an...energy, of sorts, causing them to walk around. We’ve seen it before, actually. We moved the energy where it needed to be. They’ll be fine,” he said. “Well...you know what I mean.” 

Miles just looked at them, and shook his head. 

“I...thank you,” he whispered. “Truly, thank you.” 

“Write your sister,” the Doctor said. “Spend as much time with her as you can.” 

Miles felt his throat tighten, a sadness penetrating from the Doctor’s gaze that pierced his heart, and he nodded. The Doctor felt Rose kiss his shoulder and he shook Miles’ hand, before turning back around and walking back to the TARDIS with his wife and companions. 

They moved to the Vortex, and all collapsed around the console. 

“You two alright?” Donna asked. They looked at her. 

“Shaken, but yeah,” Rose said. The Doctor looked at her, and pulled her head onto his shoulder. 

“Thank you both,” he said. “I mean that.” 

“You’re family,” Martha said, remembering Rose’s words to her the first time she stepped aboard the ship. They both smiled at her. “What happened, though?” 

They looked at each other, and told Martha and Donna the story of Gwyneth and Charles Dickens. They explained that the beginning of Rose’s journey to getting her abilities happened that night, and explained what could have been undone. They left out the part about why the Doctor was so afraid of Rose and rifts, not at all interested in thinking about Canary Wharf again today. 

“Bloody hell,” Martha said. “That’s….” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, kissing Rose’s head. “Like I said. Thank you.” 

Donna took a deep breath, and stood. “I think you two need some time together after hearing all that. I’m going to bed.” 

Rose just smiled a little at her, and Martha followed, both giving them quick hugs before they bounded off to their own rooms. Rose closed her eyes against the Doctor’s shoulder, and he laid his head on top of hers. 

They didn’t speak for many minutes, and Rose eventually separated herself from him, holding her hand out. “Come on.” 

“Where are we going?” he asked. 

“Bed,” she said. “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to think. I just want to be with you.” 

“Me too,” he whispered, and kissed her hand, following her to their room. 

The moment they closed the door, it all moved slowly. The TARDIS dimmed the lights and the Doctor pulled Rose to him, remembering that before all of this happened it was her birthday and their second wedding, and he let that guide him for a moment as he pulled the red ribbon out of her hair, her blonde locks falling around her shoulders. His hand wrapped itself in them, and his lips were soft against hers as he kissed her. She didn’t move to take his suit off, she just savored his taste and let his Christmas scent fill her lungs. It was all so slow, but not in a teasing or tantalizing way. Soul met soul on lover’s lips like it was meant to be, like all of time was moving to the pulse of their hearts. 

Their many connections trickled down through them, dulling all other senses and thoughts as they just found each other. The Doctor laid her against their bed with such care the mattress seemed to blanket around her like a cloud. Rose kept her eyes open as he slowly pulled the corset apart, afraid if she blinked she’d miss him in some way, and he kissed her stomach with lingering brushes. His tongue never darted out to her, and as she touched his mind with hers, they held each other’s hearts in their hands, protecting them as they slowly began to sway, gliding and sliding and still holding on tight. 

Rose wasn’t angry anymore. She wasn’t worried, or flustered. She was just trying to understand how she got so lucky, to love so completely and be loved in return. 

“Oh, Rose…” he whispered, her back against his chest as he moved with her, “you still don’t get it, do you?” 

“What?” she said, moaning lightly. 

“I’m the lucky one,” he said. He kissed her neck and shoulders slowly, so slowly, so completely hers it coursed through his veins like a fire. It was all consuming, everywhere all at once, the same way her mind was as she said his name in Gallifreyan. 

Sensations swam around them, inside of them, and through them, and neither were able to speak much. They didn’t need to. It was exactly what they needed, the pinnacle of love caught in their hearts and souls, and they repeated it all again, then again, until finally Rose felt like her legs were jello and the Doctor’s hair had flattened from sweat. Only then did they shift off of each other, still connected in almost every way, and Rose found herself wanting to fall asleep. 

“Forever,” she murmured, and he just smiled. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. "I love you." 

She mumbled the words back, and he closed his eyes, knowing they should shower but not caring about that at all, and he let himself drift off with his most perfect human tucked in his arms. His wife. 

As they slept, the clock around her neck kept the time of her heartbeat, each second ticking toward where they needed to go. 

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna be honest - this was not in the original plan of this series hahaha. It just hit me and here we are! Hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
